


A Single Possibilty

by Evie_adams273



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Crucio, Gen, Hope you enjoy, I've run out of tags (and sanity), In the dark AU, It's a little regrettable, One Shot, Scorpius does something, as best you can, between scenes in the play, careful, cruciatus curse in here, it's quite hard, reference to self harming, thanks for reading, trigger warning, very sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-31 20:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21252290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evie_adams273/pseuds/Evie_adams273
Summary: After his meeting with Professor Umbridge, in which he assures her that he is 'restored' completely, Scorpius has a Dark Arts lesson. He knows that if he falls, it will result in, ultimately, his death. He knows how this world works. He is a Malfoy. He has to be strong.But when he walks into the lesson, he doesn't entirely realise how strong he will have to be.And that is if you can consider his actions a feat of strength.
Kudos: 8





	A Single Possibilty

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warning: references to self-harming, torture, blood
> 
> Have fun

“For Voldemort and Valour,” Umbridge smiled sweetly at him, crossing her wrists.

“For – um – yes,” Scorpius nodded, stumbling out of her office as he tried to remember to breathe.

As soon as he was out in the corridor, he started to sink down again the wall, hands shaking, but a bell rang around him and he had to force himself to his feet. People would surround him soon. He had to hide somewhere. He had to get away. Except he couldn’t.

People expected him to turn up to his next lesson, even though he didn’t know what that was. People expected him to continue with his life, because supposedly his life had not changed. Supposedly, he was still the Scorpion King.

And maybe he was.

It just so happened that the Scorpion King was now reluctant to hurt people. It just so happened that the Scorpion King could no longer follow through on the threats he made. It just so happened that the Scorpion King had gotten scared.

He glanced down as his eyes started to fill with tears. He couldn’t cry now. He had to be somewhere. He didn’t know where. Someone would tell him. But he couldn’t cry.

He hadn’t realised how awful he had been at being inconspicuous until Umbridge had called him into her office. He had thought that his questions had been few and far between, or at least with people he assumed would keep his secrets.

Except, there were no secrets here.

Everything was watched. Every movement. Every conversation. If there was something someone didn’t agree with, someone important would notice. Someone would find him, and he knew that he couldn’t keep lying his way out.

If he didn’t start to keep his mouth shut, he would end up dead, and then no one would be able to save Albus. A few more days. He had to promise himself it would only be a few more days. If he could work out a way back. A few more days.

He looked up as someone called his name, blinking back the last of his tears. As they drew closer, he realised that it was someone he was supposed to know. Someone whose name was supposed to leap to mind. And when it didn’t, he did his best to play it off as if it wasn’t his fault. He had to remember that.

He had to remember that it was never the Scorpion King’s fault. He had to, somehow, make himself proud of who he was.

“Hey, Scorpion King!” the boy grinned. “You coming?”

“Where to, exactly?” Scorpius attempted to make himself sneer.

“Dark arts,” the boy frowned. “Are you all right?”

“What makes you think I’m not?”

“You love Dark Arts. You’re normally already there.”

“Well,” Scorpius scowled, “if the stalking you appear to have done carries through your life, you’d know that the headmistress requested to see me.”

“Of course, I’m sorry.”

“Good. Now, let’s go.”

He set off at a quick pace, trying not to stumble. He felt like he was going to vomit. A combination of knowing he was walking towards a class where he would be taught to hurt people, and speaking to someone like that. He hated it.

He hated it when people feared him. When people feared him, he couldn’t truly be a good leader. If he had to be a leader, he didn’t want to be a feared one. Scaring everyone into line wasn’t a way to get people to follow you. Scaring everyone into line was a way to get people to eventually rise up and take back the power. He wished they would.

He stopped walking as they neared the classroom, trying to make himself breathe. He had to get through this. He had to make it through the next hour, and then he could keep looking for a way back. One hour. One hour. One more hour.

The classroom was nearly full when they entered, and he had to force himself not to look down as he took his seat the back. He sat in the back in all classes now. He didn’t really know why. Maybe it was because he knew he was smart, but here, he was arrogant enough to think that he didn’t need to learn more.

Or maybe he just didn’t need learning to distract himself from bullies. Not when he was the bully.

He looked up as Professor Carrow walked in, grinning at them. The class fell silent almost instantly, and Scorpius felt as if now would have been the moment he was supposed to grin. The power in the room was undeniable, and he held some of it. He had fought for it, and won the respect of everyone around him.

And now he had to act that he was that version of himself.

It was a version of himself. The person that everyone was used to was something that he could have access to, once upon a time. Both he and his alter ego had started from the same place. The only difference had been education and upbringing. And Scorpius couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if something had happened during his childhood and he had let himself fall.

Was it possible for him to become anything like his other self? For any reason? Even to save himself? Somehow he doubted it.

“Mr. Malfoy, I take it you’re paying attention!” a voice snapped at the front.

Scorpius looked up sharply, cursing himself for letting himself slip. He couldn’t afford to slip. He couldn’t do any of this.

“Sorry sir,” he mumbled. “Got – _I _got distracted.”

“Well, I wouldn’t. After all, today is Duelling Day.”

“Sir?”

“Duelling day, Malfoy! And I assure you that I will be wholly disappointed if the rumours are true and you have become a Mudblood. I cannot say that you are showing much promise.”

Scorpius didn’t respond and tried not to flinch at the silence that followed.

“Malfoy,” Carrow snapped. “Get up. You’re duelling, are you not?”

“Of course,” Scorpius stood up, cutting himself off as he started to apologise; he had to be confident in his actions.

“Helen Fawley. You’re duelling today. I’d wish you luck, but I doubt you’ll need it.”

Scorpius pulled out his wand, running his finger up and down the roman numerals. It helped. Remembering how it had hurt to put them there somehow managed to distract him a way that didn’t show to the rest of the world. Albus could tell. But Albus wasn’t here.

He looked at the girl he was supposed to be duelling, who stood, grinning at him, on the other side of the space that had now been cleared for the fight. Scorpius looked back at her, taking a deep breath as they walked towards each other. When they bowed, she giggled quietly.

“I’m going to destroy you, Malfoy,” she hissed.

Scorpius didn’t reply, straightening up and walking away again. Then he raised his wand.

“And remember,” Carrow called, “if the winner hasn’t used either the Imperious Curse or the Cruciatus Curse at the end of this duel, you know the consequences. After all, you’re fourth years.”

Scorpius froze momentarily. It was a choice that he had to make. He maintained his cover, he kept himself safe, or he lost the duel and didn’t harm another human. He had to choose, if it was even his choice. Somehow, he suspected that the power the other part of him possessed was not locked up inside him anymore.

He was too busy thinking, and he missed the first curse that Fawley through at him. He dived out the way, watching the blast of fire soar past him and hit some sort of shield. They were in a shield. He couldn’t escape this.

He pulled himself back to his feet, attempting to disarm her, but she laughed, blocking the spell and firing back two or three more blasts of fire. The second caught Scorpius’ sleeve and he shrieked with pain as it burned up his left arm. But within seconds it was gone and he turned back to her.

“You’re pathetic, Malfoy,” Fawley laughed. “That didn’t hurt. That was nothing.”

“Stupefy!” Scorpius spat, trying to ignore the pain in his arm.

Fawley laughed again, blocking the curse in a way that almost seemed to make the stream of light dance around her. Scorpius stared, trying not to stumble backwards. If he fell now, he would die. They would know something was wrong, and he would probably be arrested. Or something. He didn’t know how it worked.

He started to raise his wand again, trying to think of something to do, when the wave of pain hit him and he collapsed to his knees, writhing and screaming. The pain ripped through his skin, concentrating in his mind. It felt as if his head was going to burst open.

And he couldn’t stop it. So, he just went with it as the pain washed over him. Again and again and again. Until he could barely breathe. Until the only reminder that he was alive was the laughter ringing through from the girl torturing him.

A girl. A child. His age. A child his age had caused him this pain. And he had caused other much more than this. He had caused much more than this, while enjoying it. So maybe he deserved this.

Maybe he deserved the pain that threatened to rip his sanity to shreds, piece by piece. Maybe he deserved the pain that chased away all the hope. Maybe he deserved the pain that made him think that he didn’t deserve Albus.

When it stopped, he wanted nothing more than to lie, sobbing, on the floor, but he didn’t. He couldn’t let himself. So he grabbed his wand from where it had fallen and pulled himself to his feet, stumbling back a few feet as he did.

He winced as he hit something hard, and then he looked around. He had left the shield. He had lost.

And the room was entirely silent.

He looked around at the other people in the room, all either staring at him or Fawley, and then he closed his eyes. If survived this, he would get back to Albus. If he survived this, surely he could do anything.

“Well,” Carrow broke the silence, “that was entirely disappointing for my sister.”

“Sir?”

“She bet that you would win this. I knew you’d crack eventually. So I prepared a little test to show what we should do with you now.”

Scorpius remained silent as Carrow walked towards a cupboard and opened it, flashing a grin back at Scorpius. He couldn’t breathe. He had to pass whatever this test was. If he didn’t pass, all his promises of ‘temporary aberration’ were gone. All his ability to save the world would be gone. And he couldn’t lose that. He couldn’t lose any of that.

He forced himself to stay still and Carrow dragged a young boy from the cupboard, throwing him towards the centre of the room. Fawley kicked him before she stepped out of the way, grinning at Scorpius.

Scorpius met the gaze of the boy, and he felt the bile rise in his throat.

The rags that he was wearing appeared to be barely clinging to his frail figure. His wrists, chained to one another, were covered in huge sores. His face was covered in blood. And Scorpius knew instantly what was expected of him.

He raised his wand. And then stopped.

“Go on, Malfoy,” Carrow grinned.

Scorpius forced air into his lungs. Once. He only had to do this once. And it would be over. It would all be over. It was so that he could survive. It was so that he had the chance to survive.

Surely he could justify that. Surely he could justify one sacrifice for the purpose of saving the world. Surely he could do this. Not with a clear conscience. Not without the knowledge that he was a truly awful person for even considering this. But he could try.

After all, he wasn’t a pleasant person. Not here. Not anywhere, if the rumours were to be believed.

“Crucio.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you couldn't tell, last night was pretty shitty, and this came out. Hope you enjoyed it. I sort of did.  
Thank you for reading  
Kudos and comments appreciated  
Twitter: @evieadams273


End file.
